


The end of times

by Shokitty



Category: Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID-
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Tragedy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 07:12:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12249507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shokitty/pseuds/Shokitty
Summary: Heavy Spoiler content. If you haven't read Lamento complete at least on one route please be warned.If something small changed that day, back then. If something were to be different...would The End of Times still come?Leaks doesn't know what is going to happen but suddenly he finds himself knowing more than what he wanted to about Shui, his family and the current way of living he had in Ransen.





	The end of times

He would look outside the window, into the vast and wide forest, wondering about that cat: How was he doing? What was he doing? Was he fine and safe? And then he would lost track of his own thoughts for who knows how long before noticing his reflection by the window and how his ears were down, almost glued to his head.

A sigh would find a way out of his mouth, then a low growl before he kicked something, more likely the wall, and go back to his books, while one of his hands played with his long braid.

Shui had done nothing but break into his life, into his whole routine and make a mess out of it but even so he couldn't understand why he wasn't unable to just kick him out.

It was easy, he could make a bigger barrier, make him get lost and return to Ransen. It was easy, something certainly more easier than make a path safe enough for him to go around the forest without being attacked by a single monster. And yet he wouldn't do it because when he thought about Shui not coming to bother him -Because that was the only thing he did when he was around- somehow his chest hurt and something like a sharp dagger was thrust deeper into his heart.

"This is stupid..." But as soon as he was starting to be lost in thought, yet again, he could hear someone knocking at his door. "...What a timing." He rolled his eyes but got up and walked through his house up to the door, opening it and seeing the stupid smiling face of the red haired cat, Shui. "What?"

"What?...I'm here visiting you, Leaks."

"Shouldn't you be busy with your training as a Sanga in Ransen? More important. You're a possible candidate to be the Chief Sanga and serve the Lord. How many times have I told you that if they find out you hang around a cursed cat-..." He merely felt a hand pushing his chest inside and Shui made himself at home apparently. "...I didn't said you could come in."

"It's cold and if we wait any more your present will get cold." Leaks was about to scream at him until his mind was able to register the words that were directed at him.

A...present?

"What did you said...?"

"You sure have trouble grasping the most simple stuff sometimes, Leaks." Shui's laugh was wonderful, Leaks had sometimes thought about it having something to do with his sanga abilities or if it was pure and mere magic that flowed through him but never, not even in his death bed, he would be heard saying that out loud. "My wife cook some extra food today, she said that I've been recently more happy...so she wanted to thank you for being my friend and dealing with me. She wanted to come but I was able to convince her that it was a bad idea. Since she is pregnant right now, it'd be dangerous for me to take her into the forest alone, even with the path you made for me...but I knew you wouldn't like any more visits without warning...or maybe even with warning so, she just sent these."

Shui said all of that while making space, carefully taking book after book and leaving at around were it couldn't be harmed. Then he put a basket covered with cloth over the table, taking the cloth away the soft aroma of cookies, homemade cookies, filled his house that usually only smelled like old books and dust.

Leaks was rendered speechless because he...didn't expect Shui to talk about him to his wife, neither having the woman be grateful for him being friends -which he was NOT- with Shui.

"I...I do agree I deserve some kind of reward for being able to put up with your...antics. But this is way too much." He took a hand and put it on his face, looking tired. "...How, I mean...does your wife even _knows_ that I live in the forest? How come you thought it was fine to take a basket with food into the forest?!" Certainly, that stupid cat was the most idiotic, unthinkable cat ever. "I can't believe this, what if you got attacked in the middle of the road...?!"

"But I had them covered, surely no creature could be able to smell the-..."

"Are you serious...?!" Leaks walked to him and hit the table with the palm of his hands. "If something happened to you in the middle of the road I wouldn't had know because I thought you had enough intelligence to-..." But, a bit too late, he realized that he was worried. More than anything, he was worried. He had got worried about Shui getting attacked in the middle of the road because of him. Because of his gift.

"...But I am fine, Leaks." Shui raised a hand and softly pushed away some of Leaks bangs to be able to see properly his face, and then left his hand over his cheek. "I am fine. I am here."

"...You...could have been..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't wanted to worry you. But I'm fine...relax...your fur is all on its end. You're panicking. Want me to sing for you?" Leaks' eyes widened, because he didn't noticed how altered he was, he was...he was so scared, so scared of the possible outcome where Shui didn't reached his home, where he didn't knew about the present. " **Sit**."

Growling, Leaks complied and sit down, but he didn't knew why he was so angry, or to who, or anything but he suddenly had a cookie close to his face and finally he paid attention to the form of the cookies. Small, made with the form of kitties -which was silly since they were cats- and they let out the smell of nuts and sugar, they were sweet surely. Leaks didn't knew if he should eat of talk about the form, the smell or anything but Shui already had figured so, apparently. Shui let that one in his hands while he took another and took a small bite, mumbling that indeed, the cookies were sweet.

"I..."

"You dislike sweets?" Shui questioned but, no, it wasn't that actually.

"No, I just...I don't know what impression of me you have been giving around because for your wife to cook these...I feel like she was thinking about a child." But he took a bite out of the cookie and raised his ears with curiosity and some wonder, there were so many flavors mixed in these cookies that he found himself somewhat fascinated with the thought of finding what each flavor was but Shui had to take him out of his thoughts. He was looking at Leaks with a big grin, the biggest grin he had ever seen on him since the day they had met. "Is there something in my face?"

"Hahahaha...." The magician's tail tensed up and his ears jumped a bit when he started to hear the laugh. "I'm sorry, really, sorry...it's just...your face."

"My face?"

"You're...happy." Shui's smile grew wider, Leaks was blinking without understanding what even was happening. "You're smiling and your eyes were sparkling...just like you just had tasted something amazing for the first time."

"Is not-...!" Suddenly his cheeks felt hot, his heart started to race fast and he didn't knew whether he wanted to hide or die. "I am-...I am merely impressed by the abilities of your...wife. For her to be able to mix so many sweet scents and make something that doesn't make me want to die of excess of sugary ingest is truly a wonderful showcase of high culinary."

"You're still smiling." _This cat_. "But she is indeed graced with a very good ability to make food that doesn't poison you." And then it was Leaks' turn to inquire, because that face, surely Shui had something dark in his past that he could bring up now.

"So, does this mean that his high ability to make anything edible was one of the decisive factors when you decided to court this female cat in particular? Perhaps, and only if I may ask, you're unable to cook very well?" If the Sanga wanted his smile to be wider this surely accomplished his goal, because once he saw how that cream-brown tail tensed up and started to hit the table with unease, Leaks smile became a grin. Oh. OH. Now was his time to bother him.

How curious.

"D-Don't say that...I mean, yes...I can...make some...some stuff, basic stuff and I can make medicine and another stuff. I can make the recipes I'm required to know as a Sanga but it's not...not like...I can't cook."

"You can't cook."

"I said I can cook."

"Ho...surely this means you can show me." Leaks tail was moving in amusement, his hand was taking out his third cookie from the basket and looked at his friend with great joy. "I mean, I have stuff to practice spells but I can find them anytime around here, I couldn't pass on this chance to taste the cooking of the future Chief Sanga." Shui's cheeks were practically melting with his hair at this point.

Leaks was enjoying this too much, perhaps dangerously much to the point he even took a moment to look clearly at the Poet's face, his eyes, how nervous he was, how cute he looked once he was the one bothered and not the other way around. He didn't even stop thinking about that when he noticed that Shui had crossed his arms over his chest and something was...

On his hand.

On his right hand there was a ring, a silver simple ring that didn't had anything special to it or anything but, he didn't expected to find it on Shui's hand anytime. Almost as if by reflex, he moved his right hand a bit and tried to felt his own ring that was gifted by Shui, smiling a bit once he found it and that only fueled his thoughts that were going downhill. "How about a bet?"

Shui's ears moved a bit, but soon enough the poet was looking at Leaks a bit confused. "A bet?"

"Ask me to do something, if I can't but you can cook, you can ask for a reward. If you can't cook but I can do your petition, you'll have to do anything I ask you to do...if we both fail, well, we both fail and that's the end of it." Still, it was odd for him to think about anything like this at all. To even think about something that involved another person, to even think about taking time out of his studies to make something that would probably be stupid.

It was going to be a waste of his time.

But it was going to be a waste of time with Shui.

And somehow that made something within him become warm, and expand towards his whole body. It made the pain that usually tortured his heart something of the past. It made his usual loneliness become something shining. Shui's existence made his whole world become brilliant, as if everything around him had been without color until now.

And suddenly he thought 'Maybe is not that I actually want to kick him out...'

'Maybe is that I'm scared that I'll be in his way and he will leave me.'

'Maybe I just don't want this to end.'

"Leaks. Leaks!" A voice brought him back from the most deepest part of himself. The magician found himself looking at Shui in absolute surprise. "Are you alright? You suddenly looked like you were sleeping or something..."

"I was thinking about what I'll make you do once I win." Shui made a pout. "You're a grown up cat. Don't make such a face."

"You're so sure you're going to win you didn't even heard my petition." Right, he should do that before claiming anything, but what could the other ask that could ever give Leaks, the greatest magician ever knew -Or so he called himself- even a slight trouble. "I want you to go to Ransen with me and stay three days."

Leaks thought about how he could kill himself right now.

* * *

"I only asked you to cook."

"You never said when, actually, you only said you wanted to taste it, and then you said you could win. No. Wait. You said you were going to win." Shui was smiling at him, helping him carry a bag with some books Leaks was currently studying. "Isn't this more simple than what you asked of me?"

"I have black ears and a black...crooked...tail." He was, surprisingly, sensitive about the way his tail was, to the point he had it hidden curled around his waist so no one could see it. Not even Shui. "This sounds more like you want me dead."

"Of course not. And you'll be at my home, no one will go there, even more...no one knows how you look, didn't you said so? How anyone is going to know that the magician of the forest is going to be at my house?" He...

He had a point. Up to now, no one had been able to see him or even reach his house. Shui was an exception merely for the fact he suddenly decided to save him. It was, it had been only a whim. He didn't even needed to do that but even then he had took this cat to his home and healed him, he healed him...he never kicked Shui out, he even complied and told him his name.

He was the one who let Shui go this far.

He didn't even needed to accept the stupid petition, he didn't even needed to follow Shui right now, on the path he had made for him and only for him so the other stupid, idiotic, absolutely crazy cat would stop been a prey of the monsters.

He...

Why was he so willing to let Shui do anything with him?

"I still look suspicious..." Because of course he didn't had any other clothes back at home that weren't black. "The cape and the hood only makes this worse...and I'm coming with you. I'm going to...." He stopped. "You're trying to be a Chief Sanga, you shouldn't be near me. I'm going to make your position be questioned." And... "Besides, anyone can suddenly follow us back when I go back home and..."

"Leaks." Shui's firm tone suddenly silenced him. "It's gonna be only three days." So he said, like it was nothing, only three days but in three days anything could happen and Leaks being the centenary cat that he was knew better than any other cat how bad and cruel cats were able to be if they were scared of something. "Leaks..."

"I'm just accepting because I...somehow need to repay your wife for all the effort she put in those cookies so, I'm going to show myself to her and-..."

"Leaks."

"What?"

"We're here." Shui suddenly pointed to the entrance of the city and Leaks could feel his heart skip a beat, as if he was suddenly sinking into guilt and desires to run away, but he looked as serious as always before fixing his hood and covering his ears a bit better. "You really have nothing to fear."

"I fear nothing, I only care about not ruining your reputation as a possible future Chief Sanga and I have in mind the rumors that are out there about me." Dark magician, cursed cat, the bringer of the end of times. An unending number of names he was called because of his pure interest towards magic and the color his ears and tail had, as if having a crooked tail wasn't bad enough.

"Those are that: Only rumors. I know the truth and I know you'd never hurt any cat in this city." Shui believed in him more than anyone else...more than even himself. "Let's go!"

He could just let out a heavy sigh but walked along the path doing his best to not lost sight of Shui in any way, as they both had hoods it was difficult to pinpoint Shui right away without his red hair usually flowing in the wind. Somehow he managed to not lost Shui anytime soon, even as many cats that were in Ransen, Leaks was always mindful of his surroundings, never looking at anyone else that wasn't Shui, that wasn't important for him.

He stopped near a small shop where Shui decided to buy something and for the first time in years that he had lost count of, he was looked at by other cats, common cats, usual cats.

"I haven't see you around before...Shui, is this a friend of yours?" Leaks' body tensed up, he didn't knew what this idiot would say and he didn't knew why his heart was beating so hard against his chest, almost like an instrument, to the point it reached his ears.

"Yup! He-...he is a very dear friend of mine that lives beyond the forest." He said with a big grin. "It's his first time here in Ransen. So he is a bit nervous."

"...Ye-...Yes." He only nodded. "I...I haven't seen this many cats before." But it was a good way to avoid suspicion, even more if he could avoid other cats to try to look at his ears and tail, hiding himself under the false assumption that he was only being shy. And it worked, the shopkeeper only told him that if he ever needed something he could ask him and that it was a good idea to wear a cape, not many cats were happy to see newcomers coming to the city sometimes. "I...see. I'll take that advice."

"Anyway, thank you for the kuims. It's always good that you have them all the time." Shui laughed and took Leaks by the hand so he could drag him to his home, evading the obvious question that may come if they kept chatting without care.

Shui wasn't an idiot and Leaks knew it more than anyone. He never said it out loud but this very action of him told him more than years of friendship could have: Shui knew that if Leaks started to say his name -Something he would never do, he would think of another to go by- the cats around them would suspect immediately, because his name was well knew. Well knew and dangerous, Shui was protecting him by keeping his name a mystery as much as he could.

Then, when they were near a more silent part of the city, Leaks was suddenly gifted with a small fruit.

"Kuim?"

"Why do you think that I bought them? They're your favorites, right? So I thought I would make you feel less nervous by giving you some of them."

Indeed, Shui was a cat that always gifted everyone without expecting anything in return, but to Leaks that was only something else that added to the equation of why he liked him that much.

Wait what.

His mind suddenly stopped but he couldn't control anything else around him, Shui suddenly was telling him that they were at his home and he...he just could open and close his mouth like a fish because, what was that thought? Why was his face so hot suddenly? Why his heart kept pounding against his chest like it wanted to get out of his body?

He liked Shui, that was a given, because they were friends but...that like, the way he had just thought about wasn't the same like.

And when his friend pushed that door open, Leaks felt like this was just the start of the worst three days of his life.

* * *

Shui's wife was sleeping when they had arrived so they tried to make little noise while accommodating everything around, Leaks even took a break and took his cape away so his tail and ears could get some freedom but out of nowhere...

"Shui?" A soft female voice was heard from a corner and Leaks tried to find his cape almost instantly. "...And this...are you my husband's friend?"

Leaks stopped and did something he never thought of, he just covered his ears with his hands.

"Oh please, don't do that. I can see your ears have a beautiful black shine to them. It'd be a shame to cover them. I know other cats might react bad to it but, I don't have any problem with it. How may I call you?" Leaks could say he expected such a...loving wife for Shui, yes. Slowly he uncovered his ears but not his tail that was still hidden, mostly because of it's shape than anything.

"...I...I am not sure how may I present myself to you, I may be indeed Shui's friend-...something. I do not wish to bring any of you any trouble, so I do not wish to reveal my name I guess. You could say I don't dare to lie to you but I came here to give you my most sincere gratitude for such lovely and delicious cookies." He bowed slight to the woman...who laughed, not in amusement, just letting out a feel of pure happiness. "Excuse me?"

"Black tail, black ears. My husband has been going into the forest a lot, and I can tell because he always comes with herbs but, since he started to go there he became someone happy. He wasn't a sad person before but he started to look gloomy, the pressure on him was too much I could guess but you have helped him to lift that and more. I'm more than grateful for that. And I know who you may be...Leaks, the magician of the forest."

"Miyako...!" Shui jumped. "If you knew as much-...since when did you suspected that I was-...?"

"Fear not, my beloved husband. If this cat right here is the reason you're overcoming your gloominess, and even more, the reason you're able to produce the beautiful songs you have been singing I, sincerely, believe this magician is not the dark one the rumors speak of." Leaks though was totally surprised that the wife of his friend was able to accept him, beyond the fact that he was a cursed cat according to everyone...she knew of him and didn't think badly of him. "So, I heard you liked the cookies. I apologize as we can't offer you a better place to be or that myself is even unable to properly welcome you into this house of ours." And the cat bowed to him, with absolute respect.

Leaks found himself quite unable to understand what even was happening. Shui was one thing but his wife was even more surprising than the man, and yet he felt something...sadness, sadness so deep and painful every time he saw her. He kneeled in front of the woman and took her by the shoulders. "I am no more than a friend of Shui and, maybe I am the one who should be grateful to life for bringing him into mine." He slowly spoke. "I have heard wonderful stories about you, Miyako. For certain reasons I will be staying here for three days so, I do hope I am not being a bother to any of you." The female just laughed a bit, and he could see her shaking her head.

"Shui is always outside, and I am always sleeping but...having someone by my side will be wonderful."

"You make that sound like I leave you alone all the time..."

"You _do_ leave her alone quite a long time of the day, you know that as much as me." Leaks spoke a bit harshly. "I know you have to do stuff and I do enjoy your company but your wife requires your company a lot more and-..."

"And Konoe."

"And Ko-..." Leaks fell silent, looking at the female cat by his side, blinking without knowing what to say. "Konoe?"

"Konoe...that's such a wonderful name. You finally decided on that one, Miyako?" Shui hurried to the side of his wife to embrace her in his arms and so Leaks realized that, certainly, the woman had quite a large belly adorning her figure and so he figured the kitty wouldn't take long to be born.

"Konoe." He repeated. While wife and husband were talking about something he raised a hand and took it to the belly of the female cat, remaining silent and feeling something.

Life was flowing in all forms and ways from there, a small baby was aware of the love he was getting from his parents and so it was moving, laughing almost. The small Konoe was happy to have a name and he could feel it, he could have such empathy for other beings that he didn't understood sometimes how he was able to be alone for so much time. "Konoe." He called again. "You'll be really happy."

"Is that an spell?" Shui's voice took him out of his mind. Leaks almost jumped towards the door.

"It-...it is not, is more like a wish." He said, because...no, there were indeed spells that could secure that but he figured he didn't needed to do such things for a family like Shui's. It was a given.

"To have a wish like that for my little kitten, from such a great magician, I am sure it'll work just like any spell." Miyako told him before pressing his hand over the one Leaks still had on her belly. "I give you my most sincere gratitude. Now...if you boys could help me to get up..."

"...Why is that you can't get up or walk properly, Miyako?" Leaks asked, stopping Shui from helping.

"That I am afraid I don't know. Lately I have been more tired and more unable to move as freely as I would like...but I'm sure it's only because I'm weak...even the shamans around the city told me as much."

"Tch. Those are as good as nothing. Where are you hurting, Miyako?" He took the female cat on his arms to let her rest again in the small bed that was in the house. "I can sense your-...I can sense Konoe is healthy and will be born without problem but if I can offer my sincere gratitude for the cookies and for taking your husband's time so much, I'll do my best to help you."

"Leaks!" Shui's face was so bright, he noticed how his friend had refrained himself from hugging him suddenly because he was so near his wife.

"...I already saved you enough times, so your wife deserves a bit of it for having to deal with you. She understands me." He joked but the woman only pointed to his back, and so Leaks knew he was to examine the back of the woman and he noticed soon after his hand was over one of her sides...she was very weak, the pregnancy was already taking its toll on her and she would probably won't be able to carry on once Konoe had born. "This will feel weird but please, I ask of you to trust me, this will take some time but nothing bad will happen."

"I trust you."

"...Are...you sure?"

"My husband...he...he said he told you how he felt about you but also...he gave you the keepsake of his mother, you're precious to him. You're someone that my husband doesn't want to lost. He is always getting angry when someone calls you a dark sorcerer..." The woman smiled, softly and gentle. "I know I can trust you because of how much he cares for you."

Shui was indeed an idiot. He shouldn't get angry if someone was spreading rumors about him....those would reveal who was his friend probably and put even his wife in danger. But somehow inside of his heart, the soft warm feeling he started to feel grew bigger and bigger, almost as if covering his whole body he felt like he could do anything if he was by his side.

If he...

"Then close your eyes." Leaks spoke soft, surprising even his friend before starting to emit a light, soft and warm that enveloped the whole body of the female cat softly. "Please put all your attention to the places where it's always hurting you to move..." And he saw how she did, indeed. Slowly the light became one with her, she began to breathe easier, slowly as if she were checking if this was real. "Try to get up on your own." He moved a bit away and saw the woman sit up and slowly rose, barely using a hand on the mattress to push herself up. "It was nothing." He didn't even let her to say anything. "Now, please just...take care of yourself and...Konoe."

A hug suddenly surprised him but he...for the first time ever, returned it because he could feel the tears streaming down the cheeks of his friends. "Thank you...thank you...thank you."

"...What did I do to even deserve so many of your tears?"

"Everything. I told you. I have told you so many times..." Leaks didn't understood, even though he suddenly was able to see Shui wearing a ring as a pendant on his neck, he...suddenly remembered.

Shui had said [I love you.] and then [You're a precious friend.] but somehow for him nothing of that made sense, love, what even was love? What was that feeling that he felt every time Shui was so close to his face? He only wanted to know what magic could Shui posses that he made him feel like he was walking on the clouds, along with the Moon of Light. "...Stop. You're embarrassing me...you're embarrassing your wife!"

The two of them laughed...and suddenly he felt...at home.

* * *

He was given a small mattress near a wall, Shui slept sitting up against a wall. He was singing to make them both -Miyako and Leaks- fall asleep. When he woke up Shui was nowhere to be found but the female cat was already cooking something, he guessed it was breakfast. He sit up and started to look for his hair to make his braid but he found it already done.

"Shui did your hair before leaving. He just went out, today he has a severe training today as well." Leaks only nodded but he wanted to say that Shui didn't needed to do his hair out of the blue. "...He is always a bit gloomy when he goes out to his training to be a Chief Sanga, but the people love him. They say...the place where he walks suddenly becomes filled with flowers, that he is magical, he says he only likes to sing, but that very power of him that is so sincere...makes him..."

"...Makes him unique and I wouldn't be surprised if suddenly a big path of flowers appeared beneath his feet." Leaks admitted, but the woman looked sad. "Is there something wrong...?"

"He has told you, right? He wants to be the Chief Sanga because he wants to tell the people about how you're not...evil."

Hmph. Yeah, he had told him about that and Leaks had made his point more than clear that he didn't wanted to live in Ransen not because he cared for what the people said -Or maybe he did, a bit- but because he cared for how he needed to study. That made him twist his tail a bit before raising up from the mattress. Leaks took out a book to start studying while breakfast was being made but suddenly someone knocked on the door and he immediately took his cape and covered himself. "I'll be behind the door, don't wo-..." But the woman looked...scared. "Miyako?"

"Is...is nothing, just hide." She said but, even if he indeed hid himself he could hear the whole conversation. "...Shui isn't here. He already left for training." There stood a male cat that looked a bit too...angry to be a sanga, or so Leaks thought. He had only met Shui so far so his mental image of a sanga wasn't probably the best.

"Oh, so he did that already? My, my, isn't him a devoted one? Wanting to be in such a position, being so pampered all the time but always leaving his wife alone...a pregnant cat even." The malice in the voice of this cat made Leaks remember why he had hated other ribika so many years ago. "I heard he brought a friend with him yesterday. How is he?" Leaks tensed up.

"...He is a wonderful cat from a village beyond the forest. He is currently sleeping and I'd like for you to not disturb my guest."

"Ha...so, you're saying, a cat, from a village beyond the forest. Huh maybe he is a cursed cat from Kira? You know? Other cats pay a lot for the ears and tails of black cats, even better if they do have markings like Kiran ones." He was starting to push himself into the house and Leaks didn't liked where this was going.

That...that's why he told Shui this was a bad idea...!

"Can you please don't bother the lady here?" He appeared, uncovering his ears. "I may be a cursed cat but at least I do not try to break into a home of a fellow citizen in the city." The other cat just opened his mouth to say something but couldn't really talk, he looked really scared and...Leaks knew that...maybe he...he did knew about him. "I..."

".....Konoe" Miyako raised her voice and took him by the arm. He didn't understood what was happening. "Konoe...please. I know you're a Touga but, it's better if you don't...don't show your ears please." And so the woman covered his ears and suddenly was calling him by the named of his yet unborn son. "...And for you. You need to leave. Now."

"...You have a cursed cat with you." Although he had relaxed when he heard that name. "I'll let everyone know that Shui is letting a cursed cat stay at his home...!"

"......So be it. That will only show how much more compassionate is he unlike scum like you." And growled. He...he didn't liked to fight. He hated barbaric measures that showed nothing but the mere brute force of someone, no thinking, nothing else but instinct they said. "Leave."

Once the strange cat ran away, he closed the door and clenched his teeth. He was...a burden. A burden for...Shui.

A gentle hand was pressed against his back. "Thank you." He looked back and saw Miyako being almost moved to tears. "I was scared."

"I...I am sorry for this whole trouble...I should go. I should have never-..."

"I was scared of him. He is...he was the second option to be Chief Sanga and of course, he is part of the Bekkan. Where the Sangas are raised to fill that position so...he is always looking for ways to claim revenge against Shui and...and I didn't knew if he would try anything else, I have never told Shui about this...I don't want him to be more...troubled..."

This was Shui's life. He thought.

This was Shui's real burden. He thought.

Everyone else hated not being able to snatch back that power from him. Everyone else was...impure. Everyone else hated them because they weren't cats from the Bekkan.

"Shui, is Shui...always...suffering this?" And her too, and the baby was in danger as well. They all were. Shui... "I...I need to go."

"Why?"

"I won't leave. I...just want to make sure Shui is alright." He...he smiled, suddenly. "I am always saving him. That shouldn't be only in the forest." Miyako smiled but suddenly said some words that he didn't comprehend well. "Excuse me...?"

"I said, you love him." But she cleaned her tears with the back of his arms. "Go ahead then."

Leaks didn't understand. Maybe he just didn't wanted to understand but he ran. He went out and tried to find the scent of Shui. The faint sign that he was around but as he was doing that he could fell a sharp pain in his chest suddenly. He could only thing of bad scenarios. Of bad possibilities.

_Of losing **Shui**._

* * *

He couldn't find Shui even though he walked around the place like his life was on the edge, but eventually was able to get info on where the Bekkan were and where Shui was being trained so he could head to that place while the Moon of Light started to fall and the Moon of Shadow was peeking out in the sky. He couldn't believe himself sometimes...he couldn't believe himself since he had meet this cat named Shui.

His life was nothing but magic, he had been devoted to nothing but magic and even so, Shui appeared and turned his whole world into something he would never understand, not even in his wildest dreams he could think of one cat that could be capable to make him care for anyone else. And yet, he was there.

As he was approaching some buildings he could hear someone getting hit and, worried, he hurried his steps before stopping completely hearing what one of the ribika were saying.

"You'll resign from the position as a heir to Chief Sanga, or I will tell everyone in Ransen that you brought here that cursed cat from the forest." It was that ribika from the morning but, he was...he was... "Did I made myself clear?"

"...You did. And I'll do as you ask but please...don't hurt them. My wife is expecting a child and he...my friend, he is not a threat. Do not encourage those rumors. He may have black fur but is not a d-...gah-...!" Shui was pressed against the wall with more strength than before, making he growl but even so, unable to do anything.

"Shut your mouth. I don't care how pampered you must be by the high elders, but you're a nuisance. Go away before I change my opinion and if I ever see you again singing-..."

"Leave." Leaks couldn't stop himself. "Let go of him and leave." He walked in front of them and raised a hand against that ribika. "How would the same high elders react if they were to know that you're trying to take your position by pure brute strength?" His head high, as if the...no. The cat in front of him, the cat that was holding Shui -His precious Shui- was nothing but a nuisance. "Worry not. We may not tell anything, and I'll make sure to take this cat and his wife with me so you can continue with your plan as you wish. Release him now or you will not see another day." His lips twisted into a small smile. "Did I made myself clear or do you need a...light...reminder..." Making the tip of his claw glow, Leaks was walking toward the ribiki that held Shui captive...

Until said cat was free and hugged him suddenly.

"Stop..."

"...Shui, let me go-...!"

"...Stop. You're not like this..." The magician felt how the poet was clinging to him, wishing for him to do no harm to anyone.

Truth be told, Leaks couldn't care less about how the people saw him. How the people reacted to him or what happened to them but Shui wasn't the same. Shui wasn't as black as him. Shui was a cat that loved every single life in the world and probably, even if killed by this same world, he would love it all the same.

Ah.

So that was why...

"......I'll remember this...you better be out of here by tomorrow!....Or I will make sure you and...that....THING get killed...!" The coward ribika growled at them like a scared monster. Almost like a small one that had lost his way. Leaks couldn't help but laugh at him and scare him more but Shui kept him under control.

"...I wasn't going to do anything. I just wanted him to leave you alone and-...I told you. Taking me here was the worst idea you eve-...Shui?" He suddenly saw his friend shaking his fists, pressing his forehead into his chest with such pain, he looked just about to cry, and he didn't knew what to do. Had it been his fault? Had he scared Shui to the point of tears...?

"He followed me...he said. He said he knew I went to the house of the.......cursed...magician. He saw me...going into your house." Leaks...didn't knew what to say. "He said that since you were here it was lucky...he had planned to burn the whole forest down if necessary if I didn't gave up my position to him..." Shui was, surely, crying by now. "I don't know what to do...I don't want them to hurt you, to hurt Miyako. To hurt anyone. I just wanted to protect you. I thought if I...if I was careful no one would ever know about you. No one would..."

Leaks couldn't help it.

Leaks never could do anything when it came to this cat.

He took Shui's crying face between his palms and slowly made him look up. Look to him. Once they both were again at eye level he pressed his lips against those of Shui, caressing his cheeks and being ready for being hated. For being told how gross, how ridiculous...how horrible he was.

But nothing of that came. He was welcome with Shui's open mouth and suddenly the one making the kiss deeper and more passionate was his...friend?

"....You have a wife..."

"I love you anyway."

"............You said I was a precious friend." Neither of them could go away from each other's face even a bit, they were talking almost over each other's lips. "What is the truth, Shui?"

"That I love you. As much as I love Miyako. As much as I love my son. As much as I love singing. Or maybe a bit more." Shui smiled. "But I love you." The poet pressed his nose against his neck and started to purr, Leaks was smiling while embracing Shui in his arms. Looking at the sky he thought...they should go away now. They should run away. They...

"My house is no more safe. I knew bringing you there would cause me more trouble than anything." But as soon as he saw Shui's ears go down he gently licked the tip of one, making him jump. "...There's a village beyond the forest where we...we can live together." He had hesitated before because...suddenly there he was, asking him, asking Shui to live with him, to be a family...maybe? With him. He would...he suddenly knew, he would like to watch little Konoe grow.

He wanted to watch the birth of that kid. How much would he be like Shui? Would he be influenced by him as well?

Miyako didn't seemed to be bothered by his presence as well but he...he wanted to...

"...Leaks." Shui suddenly called his name and brought him back to reality. He would expect Shui to be hugging him tight or something by now but he was just smiling at him. "So...you'd accept Miyako and Konoe?"

"...Of course. Let's go."

"Leaks..." Shui didn't move. The magician didn't knew what was happening. "Please go ahead, I still have to resign from my position, once I do that I'll catch you guys...at home and then we will..."

"I'll make sure to create a barrier, a small one so no one can see us, alright? We will leave in the middle of the night. Don't take too much..." But he...took Shui's hand suddenly. "I know you wanted to be Chief Sanga more than anyone and I can still do something about it, if I follow that ribika..."

"No...I don't want that."

"...As I expected. So...don't make that face." He brushed Shui's bangs aside so he could see his face properly. "I prefer the you who is always smiling at me...with that stupid big smile that never seems to be away."

"...I understand." His face pressed against Leaks' hand was adorned with a small smile, but it was soft, sweet and all for him. Leaks thought. And so the magician once again leaned over to kiss him. "You're...becoming a spoiled magician."

"Whose fault is...?"

They both smiled and parted ways in that moment, Leaks told Miyako to get everything ready to depart immediately, the sooner they were away and in the forest, the sooner they could be at peace and live without troubles anymore. Leaks even gave her a hand to help and soon the only light coming from the windows was the dim light the Moon of Shadow castes on them from the sky. He frowned...going into the forest at night without a torch would be dangerous but thankfully he had made that path that was safe from anything else.

And so, they waited for Shui to come.

The time passed slowly.

Miyako didn't try to make any conversation with him and he wondered why, and he looked at her, she was, she was looking sad and always had a hand over her belly, as if she was having a bad feeling but that couldn't be.

That...

"Miyako." Leaks called. "Go ahead. I'll show you the path I made for Shui, follow it." He touched her shoulder and suddenly she was enveloped in a dim glow of white light. "This will protect you from any Ribika. Wait at the end of the path. You'll see a giant tree and if you search carefully, there will be a door. Enter it. You'll be safe there."

"...But what about Shui and..."

"I'll go to search for Shui again." He silenced her. "Let's go." He took her by the arm and carefully guided her through Ransen, to the entrance and then to the forest, showing her the path where the plants were of another color. "Follow this path, never stray from it. I assure you that you'll be completely fine."

"...Leaks."

"Yes?"

"Is Shui....?"

"He is alright. I'll make sure he is alright." He couldn't smile. Deep inside his heart something felt wrong, very wrong. Almost if his chest was being constantly pressed, as if he was being forced to stop living, to stop breathing. Why didn't he follow Shui? Why Shui was alone? Why this uneasiness was so wrong...?

"...I'll see you...both, later."

"Yes. Now go." But as soon as the small female ribika left, he pressed his back against the wall while holding a hand to his chest that was hurting, painfully. He couldn't breath and something was telling him that it was late, that something terribly had happened and he couldn't move, not even think about it because he didn't want to accept it. He had learned so long ago to read the way the forest talked, the way the air carried messages...

Suddenly...

He got up and ran, towards Shui's home. It didn't matter if his hood fell, if his cursed ears and tail showed, the face other ribika made when they saw him, the disgust, the fear, he just could run towards that place and suddenly relief enveloped his whole body, for mere seconds he thought it was...alright, that everything would be alright. But it wouldn't. When he approached the figure of Shui that was leaning over the wall of the house he could see the blood. A small puddle of blood was forming at Shui's feet, the blood coming from...him.

"...Leaks..." Somehow it was surreal, that Shui would call his name in such a soft manner. So weak. So sad. "...Why...are you still here...?"

"...Why? You ask me why? Why are you hurt? Why are you...bleeding...?" He hurried to hold Shui close to himself and soon he, both, fell to the ground. Leaks was on his knees while holding a Shui that could barely look at him. "Shui...Shui, please...don't, don't do this to me, don't you dare and...you...you can't. You can't do this. You can't come into my life and leave me like this. I have...I have so much to show you. To do with you. To...let you show me. I know I always say I'm angry, or that you're bothering me but you know it's not true, I...I lo-..."

"THERE HE IS! IS THE CURSED MAGICIAN OF THE FOREST!" A voice. A yell. Breaking through his desperate crying could be hear. Suddenly we has surrounded by fire, every ribika at his sight held torches. "HE KILLED SHUI!"

He...

He looked down and Shui was smiling but, at what moment...? His warm was vanishing, he couldn't feel him breathe anymore. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't since a while. Was Shui even alive when he reached this place? Was Shui even alive when he saw the blood? Did he just met the vanishing spirit of...?

"...Shui..." He murmured and then caressed his face, his vision blurred, his body trembling. He was crying.

For the first time in his whole life, he was crying. Crying because he wasn't even allowed to tell him he loved him back. He should have done that back when he was alive. He should have healed him as soon as he saw the blood.

What was the spell to heal...?

What was the spell to revive...?

Was there something like that?

Voices came, he could see the torches moving and his own tail was wrapped around his waist to evade the flames. But...there was something sure. He was being blamed. He was being called the one who killed Shui. Everyone was believing he could kill Shui.

And his eyes raised to the Ribika leading the other cats, he could see it, he could smell it. The blood of hi Shui was coming from within his clothes, he had something. He had killed his Shui. He...everyone killed his Shui. These people took Shui away because they wanted his power. These people took Shui away because they wanted to give him a position so big...when he only wanted to sing.

Something inside of him snapped.

The world killed Shui.

"...Don't touch me. Don't touch him." He growled. Looking at them. "Don't come closer." He slowly raised up with Shui on his arms and then looked at every single ribika that looked at him with fear. Fear. Yes. This is what they should felt from him. This is how things should have been since the beginning. Fear, they should have feared him...they should have feared the consequences. "...Move."

"...W-We...are not...scared ot..." The ribika. The killer dared to look at him in the eyes, moving his torch to the front. "We....we will kill...you..."

" _Move_."

"...We...w-we..."

"I said. **Move**." And like an order, the wind became stronger, suddenly blowing apart every ribika and throwing him away to the floor. The torches flew towards some houses and a big fire started.

Everything that could be heard in Ransen that night was screaming. Crying. People praying for help, cats running away and being eaten in the forest once they put a foot into it.

But it didn't mattered to him. Leaks only walked the safe path towards home, almost as if he were commanding the monsters to go and have a feast at Ransen. Eat them. Kill them. Don't leave a single soul alive. And even so, his soul was in despair, his heart broken and hurt beyond repair, but when he reached Miyako...his tears were gone and only his figure, stronger than ever, remained calm.

He saw the woman cry. He could hear the small baby inside her crying, almost.

But he fulfilled the promise.

"You'll stay here." Leaks had said. "You'll live here with Konoe. I will take care of you both. If you ever want to go to a village, I will take you there but...Konoe and you are free to come here whenever you want."

Because Shui loved them and he could see how much Miyako loved him. Because Konoe was the last thing he had of Shui.

Because he would let them live.

As happy as possible.

While starting his plan, while deciding that if he was going to be a dark magician. A cursed magician. He wasn't going to run away from those rumors. He wasn't going to let anyone else take away the only thing that he still had. He would protect Konoe and he will give him the world they deserved. He would bring to reality the world Shui dreamed of.

Even if he had to destroy this world and star anew. He would take revenge on every single cat of the world that Shui loved and couldn't love him back.

**_Even if he had loved the whole world._ **   
**_He would never forgive them._ **

**Author's Note:**

> AU: What if Leaks started the apocalipse because of Shui's death instead of a misunderstanding?
> 
> I hope you liked :D


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